


Impossible is not Stark

by MagdaTheMagpie



Series: Marvel & Magic [26]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Crossover, Dimension Travel, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 13:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16476791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagdaTheMagpie/pseuds/MagdaTheMagpie
Summary: Howard tries everything to save Steve, even if it means inventing a Time Travelling Machine.





	Impossible is not Stark

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018!  
> Square N3: Stark Industry

His newest creation might explode, Howard was perfectly aware of that, but given the potential, he was perfectly fine going through with it anyway. Just imagine: time travel! He could go back and snatch Steve right before his plane crashed. A much worthier effort than poking around ocean and ice in the vain hope of retrieving his body. And maybe Howard had succeeded and that was why they hadn't found the Captain yet… No, wait. He hadn't accomplished anything yet, so up to this point, Steve was still there… except… Well, he had to be  _ somewhere. _

Howard pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Enough dilly-dallying, now was the time to test his baby and there was no time like  _ the past _ ! Pulling down three levers in a row, he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. The portal should open any moment now.

But instead, the lights flickered and the power began shutting off.

“Oh, nonono.”

Good thing he had implemented a solution, just in case this sort of thing happened. Pulling the fourth lever, he hoped no one noticed a little power outage on the East Coast or if they did, because they couldn't possibly be that moronic, that they wouldn't track it down to him. Still worth it if they did. The lights came back on and a ball of golden light started growing in the middle of his modified faraday cage. His heart was pounding against his ribcage in time with the waves of energy hitting the metal cage inches from his nose. It was working! Well, mostly. It had not exploded at least, but it wasn't stabilizing either. He couldn't use it this way, but it was useful as a test run since his instruments were recording all the readings from… whatever he had accomplished.

A high whizzing sound started, rising in pitch in such an ominous way, Howard decided to take cover in the next room, just in time for a flash of light and a loud bang to make the walls of Stark Industry shudder. He patted the wall next to him, proud of how sturdy his building was. Had to be, in truth, with what he got up to down here.

Peeking into his lab through the singed doorway, Howard glimpsed the cage torn apart as if some unimaginable horror had made its way out. Worse thing was that might actually be the case. He was going to need a gun. Inching into the lab, he found his handgun. He checked the cage again and looked back at his sad little weapon. He was going to need a bigger gun. Luckily, he had prototype nearby and he felt much safer pointing it towards the smoking hole his experiment had left in his lab.

Upon closer inspection, nothing had crawled out of the cage. However, something had come through his portal and was lying at the bottom of the cage. Howard prodded it with the tip of his weapon, making it groan. 

“Show yourself! Whatever you are!”

The thing unfolded, only to reveal a pale woman with singed and still smoking clothes who looked around her with disbelief. Alright, not what he'd expected, but he'd roll with it.

“Don't shoot,” she said, raising both arms. “Unless I'm already dead, in which case I doubt it matters.”

Howard cicked his head to the side, trying very hard not to leer at what skin she was showing through her rapidly disintegrating clothes. She wasn't the least bit threatening though, so he lowered his gun.

“You don't look dead, but you will be naked soon,” he remarked with a wicked grin. “I have spare clothes next door if you wish to change.”

He learned his mistake when he'd had to walk into the main hall half-naked himself in order to find someone to get him a new set of clothes. The woman looked past him to the room where he'd taken refuge. If she was thinking of running away, she would find herself disappointed to find the doors locked. Once she left, Howard eagerly verified his readings and they were all as good as he'd expected. He would bet his money the portal hadn’t been able to stabilize due to the lack of energy.

“Erm, hello?”

Howard whirled around and grinned at seeing the woman in his clothes. It was kind if alluring actually.

“You clean up nicely,” he said.

“Thanks… I think. Could you explain what the bloody hell is going on? Where am I? And most importantly: when?”

“Aha! I knew it! I did it! I'm a genius!”

The woman put a hand on her hip, looking completely unimpressed by his outburst. That wouldn't do. The ladies loved him. Even the ladies mothers loved him. He was  _ that _ charming.

“Forgive me. My name is Howard. Howard Stark. Maybe you've heard of me? No? But you will, because I just invented a time machine! That's right: a  _ time-machine! _ And your very existence can prove it! How far back did I go?”

She looked him up and down, then pursed her lips.

“You're an idiot. And Muggles can't and have never built time-machines. When is this? The forties? Fifties? It's preposterous. It's impossible.”

“Impossible is not Stark, baby. That word is not part of our vocabulary.”

“I bet conceited arse is, because you must hear it on a daily basis.”

Howard stared at her. She was very much like dear Peggy. He'd better wear his kevlar underwear if she proved as much of a firecracker. He cleared his throat, refusing to answer her last barb.

“So when are you from, beautiful? And where? You don't exactly sound local.”

“You realize I asked you the exact same questions just a-”

“1949. Malibu.”

“Oh. Erm… 2005. London.”

Howard made a note. That was way off the mark. Waaaay off. But very interesting. The things he could learn about the future.

“Can you send me back now?”

“Uhm? Why?” he asked distractedly as he scribbled corrections to his previous miscalculations.

“Why? Why?!” His clipboard was snatched away from under his nose, so he finally looked up at his guest. “Why do you think, Stark? Do you always go willy-nilly kidnapping people through time and space? Do you have a room full of them somewhere around here? Or do you keep them in a fridge maybe? Keep them nice and fresh.”

“Erm…” He hadn't actually meant to bring anyone back through his portal save Steve so he hadn't thought of a way to send someone back. Not yet, anyway. “I'll have to work on that.” 

She huffed and he could feel another rant coming, so he cut her off short before she started.

“It's time travel, babe. What does it matter if you have to wait for a bit until I get it sorted out? Then I'll send you back to the exact same time and place I borrowed you from.”

“Well, it doesn't have to be quite that exact. If you could just get me there a few minutes later, I would be grateful.”

“Really? Any particular reason for the delay?”

“From what I remember of my last seconds in my timeline, someone tried to kill me just before you fished me out and I'd rather not give them a second chance to finish the job.”

 


End file.
